The present invention relates to a color image recording apparatus in which a color image is formed on a photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium upon light irradiation thereto through a manually inserted colored original or a mask member on which a mask image is carried, images on the original or the mask member being formed in accordance with a color image information.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 184,576 filed on Apr. 21, 1988 discloses a color image recording apparatus using a mask member. According to the apparatus, each of mask images corresponding to trichromatic resoluted images of an original is formed on each of the mask members as an intermediate recording mediums at a monochromatic printer, and such mask member carrying the mask image is brought into intimate contact with an elontaged photosensitive pressure sensitive image recording medium at a given position and is subjected to light exposure at an exposure unit. In this case, the irradiated light has a specific light wavelength corresponding to the resoluted color with which the mask member is recorded with the mask image. Upon the exposure, a color latent image is formed on the recording meidum. The photosensitive pressure sensitive recording meidum carrying the latent image is then superposed with a separate developer sheet and these are subjected to pressure-developing at a pressure developing unit disposed at downstream of the exposure unit, so that a color output image is formed on the developer sheet.
Incidentally, the image recording medium used is so called a transfer type image recording medium described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,209. The image recording medium includes a first image recording medium (the above mentioned photosensitive pressure sensitive recording medium) and a second image recording medium (the above mentioned developer sheet), and the first image recording medium is provided with microcapsules which encapsulate therein a first material having first and second phase dependent on light exposure. The developer medium is provided with a second material which provides an output image upon reaction with the first material. The light exposed microcapsules are photo-cured, whereas non-exposed microcapsules are ruptured upon pressure application, so that the first material is flowed out of the microcapsules to react with the second material.
FIG. 1 shows a color imge recording apparatus 1' according to the copending U.S.Patent Application having a mask image forming unit 41 and a color image recording unit 42. The mask image forming unit 41 may be a monochromatic laser printer 1 of an electrophotographic type. Referring first to the laser printer, a polygon scanner 2 is disposed above a photosensitive drum 3 electrically chargeable. The scanner 2 irradiates a laser beam on the charged photosensitive drum 3 to form an electrostatic latent image thereon in accordance with an image information or recording data transferred from a host computer (not shown). The drum 3 having the latent image formed thereon is subjected to development by a developing unit 4 where toners are accumulated, so that a toner image is provided over the peripheral surface of the drum 3. The toner image is then transferred to a regular sheet or an OHP (over head projector) sheet fed from a sheet feeding cassette 5. The transferred toner image on the sheet is then fixed by a fixing unit 6. This image fixed sheet serves as an intermediate sheet or a mask member 22 in the image recording apparatus according to this invention.
The color image recording unit 42 generally includes a sheet chute 8, an exposure unit having an exposure zone 20, light sources 21R, 21G and 21B, a developer sheet cassette 27, a pressure developing unit 28, a thermal fixing unit 26, a discharge tray 25, and a manual tray 29. The sheet chute 8 is disposed adjacent the printer 41 for feeding mask member 22(hereinafter also referred to as intermediate sheet 22) from the monochromatic laser printer 41 to the exposure zone 20. The exposure zone 20 extends in horizontal direction and is disposed below the light sources 21R, 21G and 21B. A photosensitive roll cassette 24A is positioned at lower portion of one end of the exposure zone 20, and a take up means 37 is provided at a lower position of the zone 20. The rolled photosensitive sheet 24 is pulled out of the cassette 24A and taken-up by the take up means 37 through the exposure zone 20.
On the exposure zone 20, the intermediate sheet 22 is set in close contact with a photosensitive pressuresensitive sheet 24. The light source 21W for white color light and the light sources 21R, 21G, 21B for three primary colors of red, green and blue are selectively used for light irradiation to the photosensitive sheet 24 through the mask member 22.
The developer sheet cassette 27 is disposed at a lower portion of the image recoridng unit 42. The cassette 27 accommodates therein developer sheets whose one surface is provided with a developer material which react with a first material (chromogenic materials) encapsulated in microcapsules coated on the top surface of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet 24.
The pressure developing unit 28 is disposed downstream of the exposure zone 20 for developing the developer sheet superposed on the photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet 24. The pressure developing unit 28 includes a pressure roller 28a.
The thermal fixing unit 26 is adapted for fixing the output image on the developer sheet. The discharge tray 25 is disposed downstream of the fixing unit 26 for receiving the developer sheet on which the output image is provided. The manual tray 29 is disposed at a position adjacent another end of the exposure zone 20 for manually feeding the intermediate sheet or colored original C into the image recording unit 42. The discharge tray 23 is disposed at a position adjacent to the one end of the exposure zone 20 for receiving the intermediate sheet 22. A mask member carrying means 22a is disposed for transferring the intermediate sheet 22 over the photosensitive sheet 24. More specifically, the carrying means 22a includes an endless belt formed of electrically insulative material such as PET, and a static electricity generators such as a corotoron (not shown) disposed at end portions of the belt. The endless belt has an static electricity by the generators, so that the mask member 22 is electrically sticked or suspended from the belt. Further, a leading edge aligning means such as a roller 31 is disposed at an outlet end portion of the chute 8 for position alignment of the leading edge of the mask member 22 supplied from the printer 41. Further, position adjusting rollers 32 is disposed at an inlet end of the exposure zone 20 for adjusting exposure position with respect to the mask member 22, so that color slip on the photosensitive sheet 24 is avoidable.
An option switch 41 is provided in the printer 41 for selectively providing a color mode operation and a monochromatic mode operation. If colored original C is intended to be inserted into the image recording unit through the manual insertion tray 29, the option switch is switched into the color mode, and the colored original C is inserted through the tray 29. In this case the white light source 21W is lighted. Further, light switching means 12' is connected to the option switch 33 for selectively lighting the one of the lights 21R, 21G, 21B and 21W.
A description will be given below of the operation of the apparatus in a color mode. In the color mode, the mask member 22 which carries color resoluted red image prepared by the laser printer 41 reaches the leading edge aligning roller 31 and is subjected to position alignment after passing through the chute 8.
Then the mask member 22 is electrostatically adhered by means of the static electricity generator to the intermediate sheet conveying means 22a and the mask member 22 is conveyed to a given position of the exposure zone 20.
In the exposure zone 20, the mask member 22 is brought into close contact with the photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet 24, and the mask member 22 and the sheet 24 are exposed to light by the light source 21R to form the latent image corresponding to the mask member 22 on the sheet 24. After exposing to light by the light source 21R, the mask member 22 is discharged onto the discharge tray 23. The same operation is executed for the remaining green mask member and the blue mask member with applying light from the green light source, and then the blue light source while the photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet 24 is maintained at the initial exposure position, and a color latent image can be formed on the identical zone of the photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet 24.
Thus exposed photosensitive pressure sensitive sheet 24 is then transferred to the pressure developing unit 28, and after the pressure development is completed, the photosensitive pressure-sensitive sheet 24 is wound up by the take-up means 37.
When the colored original C is intended to be used, the option switch 33 is switched into its color mode, and the colored original C is inserted through the manual tray 29 while lighting the white light source 21W. On the other hand, if the plurality of monochromatic mask members 22 on which color images are respectively formed thereon based on the color information are intended to be used, the option switch 33 is switched into the monochromatic mode, and the above described light exposure with successively lighting red, green and blue lights is conducted.
With the structure, if one of the colored original C and the monochromatic mask member is inserted into the manual insertion tray 29, an operator must beforehand recognize the kind, and must manually operate the option switch 33 in accordance with the kind. That is, if the colored original C is inserted, the switch 33 must be turned into the color mode, and if the monochromatic mask member is inserted, the switch 33 must be turned into the monochromatic mode so as to operate the light source selection means 12' for lighting the optimum light.
Therefore, if the option switch 33 is mistakingly switched, a desired output color image cannot be obtained, and as a result, sheets may be wasted and total operation period is prolonged due to correction to the switching operation.